154 



POPULAR FLORA. 



38. GOURD FAMILY. Order CUCURBITACEiE, 



Succulent or tender herbs, with alternate and radiate- 

 veined leaves, and with tendrils. Flowers commonly mo- 

 noecious, in the axils. Fertile flowers with the tube of the 

 calyx coherent with the ovary. Petals often united with 

 each other into a monopetalous corolla, and united with or 

 borne on the cup of the calyx. Stamens 

 generally 3, and more or less connected 

 by their anthers or their filaments, or by 

 both ; the anthers curiously contorted. 

 Fruit a pepo (224), berry, or pod. Seeds 

 large and flat ; the whole kernel is an em- 

 bryo. The most important plants of the 

 family are those cultivated. 



366. StuminDte flower of n Squaeh, with the corolla and upper part of the calyx cut away, to show the uniled Etnmena. 367. The latter, 

 enlarged, and the masB of anthers cut across. 368. Separate stamen of a Melon, enlarged, showing the long and contorted anther. 369. 

 £mbryo of Scjnash. 370. Section of same, a little enlarged, seen edgewise. 



Petals united into a large, bell-shaped, 5-lobed, yellow corolla. Stamens with three fila- 

 ments united into a tube, except at the bottom ; the anthers also fi-rmly grown 

 together; the turns of their long cells parallel, running straight up and down. 

 Style 1: stigmas 3, each 2-lobed. Fruit large, firm-fleshy. Seeds with a blunt 

 edge, (Cucurbita) *GouRD, i. e. 



Petals united only at the base or separate. Anthers loosely crooked. [Squash and Pumpkin. 



Ovary and fruit many-seeded. Anthers and filaments 3, separate or separable. 



Petals white, with greenish veins. Peduncles very long. Fruit with a hard or 



woody rind variously shaped, {Lagenaria) *Bottle-Goued. 



Petals yellow. Calyx with a bell-shaped cup. Seeds pointed and sharp-edged. 



Fruit narrow, rough-pimpled when young, { Citcumis satmis) *Cucumeer. 



Fruit thick, smooth, sweet. Fertile flowers perfect, ( Cucnmis Melo) *JIuskmelon. 



Petals buff or cream-color. Calyx with hardly any cup. Leaves much cut. 



Fruit large and smooth, sweet. Seeds thick-edged, smooth, ( CitruUus) *Watermelon. 

 Fruit a rough, reddish berry. Seeds wrinkled, (Momdrdica) *Bal8Am;- Apple. 



Ovary and fruit one-seeded or 4-seeded. Small-flowered climbers, wild in this country. 

 Corolla of the sterile flowers 6-parted, white. The long racemes rather pretty in 

 cultivation. Fruit an oval, weak-prickly, bladder-like pod, bursting 

 at the top, and containing 2 fibrous-netted cells, with 2 large seeds in 

 each. Leaves sharply B-lobed, (EcMnocysiis) Bladder-Cucumber. 



Corolla of the wheel-shaped sterile flowers 6-lobed, greenish-white. Fruit a 



small, ovate, 1-seeded, prickly-barbed bur. Leaves 5-angled, (Sicyos) Bur-Cucumber. 



39. PASSION-FLOWER FAMILY. Order PASSIFLORACE^. 

 This small family of tendril-bearing vines, with alternate palmately-lobed leaves, is mainly 

 represented by the 



